Saturday, May 16, 2009

Plea Deal Has Been made

Darrell L. Gilyard will face some earthly consequences this time. It is official, a plea agreement has been reached and signed.

The deal is 3 years incarceration and then 3 years probation.

He will be listed as a sexual predator, so this label will follow him

There were several plea agreements offered over the last weeks, all for a lighter sentence, of course, and they were rejected by the SA. This one insures that he will go to a State facility vs. county jail.

From what I am told, he plead guilty to the charges against him and did not deny any of them.

I also asked if he will have forced counseling - I am told that he will have a psychological evaluation upon entering and then be forced to maintain counseling thereafter.

The sentencing will take place on Thursday this week. He is being told to expect a packed courtroom and a media circus.

Thank you ALL for following this story and for ALL of the tips, leads, stories/testimonies, names, addresses, phone numbers, prayers and vigilance that have been put into this through the blog. Your pursuit of justice and cries for help have made a difference! I am so thankful and so proud of many of you brave warriors. Some of you may not have found the courage to tell your story or give a tip - but you can rejoice now in the fact that it will be just a little bit harder for him to violate the next person, and you can now begin the journey needed to heal.

To the many victims - those listed in the criminal charges and those that are suffering in silence. This is just one step, keep walking. Justice does not heal the wounds, but sometimes it can make it hurt just a little less. But you need help dealing with the pain and allowing yourself to fully heal and trust again. Please reach out.

To those of you that have believed in his innocence, I pray for you now as you realize all of the ways you may have helped him continue in this destructive course. I pray that you will admit your fault and ask the Father (and anyone else involved) for forgiveness and mercy.

To the church members (in Palatka) that have recently welcomed him into your congregation, as you are shocked and possibly angry that he was allowed access to your loved ones, I pray as you consider your leadership and how things are dealt with from this moment on. If you feel your daughters or wives were exposed to him during his time at your church, get help! Do not remain silent and in shame. That is where the devil uses his sin to destroy. Shame is a form of bondage and can destroy you. Reach out for help.

I want everyone to know, before the nasty comments come in, I am NOT rejoicing or laughing about the downfall of this man - this is not a laughing matter for me, it is VERY sad and disgusting. Though I feel he deserves this punishment/consequence it has come at a high price for many others. I have pursued this because he has YET to have any mercy or shame for his actions - he was still in the mindset to keep going. If a sentence would not have come, I am confident that there would be more victims. Over the next 30 months (more or less) while he is behind bars, there will be safety from this one predator.

Darrell L. Gilyard, if you are reading this, please know that I am strong because what you meant for evil against me, God meant for good. He has been my rock and my fortress, whom shall I fear? When I lie down and sleep, I will meditate on HIM in the nightwatch - and praise Him for all the good He has done!! To God be the glory!Victims/survivors, won't you join me in praises to the King of Kings? He alone is worthy to be praised!

Frank, you said a mouth full. Justic!!!! It is amazing how predators get so much sympathy than the victims. I remembered my ordeal and to this day some of those nuts still want me under their foot. NOT!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Jesus for being true and not failing us when in need. Thank you for your love, mercy and for us not to be ashamed. Thank you for the JUSTICE, that only you can give. Thank you Lord for your tools and coverage in time of need. Thank you Lord for everything. No man is above God and our children are precious and must be protected. Amen!!!

Blount said he had no idea why Hinson looked into two other blogs, tiffanycroft.blogspot.com and newbbcopenforum.blogspot.com.

* Was Hinson acting on his own, or was someone pulling his strings? Ask yourself, who at FBC Jax would most like to see Tiffany Croft's blog and the NBBCOF shut down? It makes no sense unless someone was simply on a phishing expedition to reveal the identity of Watchdog and me. As for Tiffany Croft, what possible motive could there be except to intimidate her? She's always blogged using her real name! While she doesn't seem to have been particularly critical of Brunson, she has been critical of FBC Jax and Jerry Vines for allowing Darrell Gilyard to preach at FBC Jax and for Vines preaching at Gilyard's church after Gilyard's long, sordid past became public knowledge. She has also been critical of Paige Patterson for covering for Gilyard, and we know Brunson and Patterson are buddies. Mac Brunson reportedly approached Ms. Croft's father, who is a member of FBC Jax, and pressured him to get her to take down her blog. It's my understanding Brunson now contends he's "not familiar" with Ms. Croft's blog.

I still can not believe Det. Hinson could not determine by reading Tiifany's blog, that it was authored by Tiffany and not an alias. Lord help us.

A fantastic and timely verse was shared with me today by someone I admire greatly!I wanted to share it with all of you:"Psalm 45:3-4 is for you today: "Gird your sword upon your thigh O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of TRUTH, HUMILITY, and RIGHTEOUSNESS; let your right hand display awesome deeds."

This is a stern message to all of us Pastors and preachers. If you are not in ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ,then you had better find another occupation! Thank you Tiffany Croft for being the courageous trooper that you are! If not for the Lord laying it upon your heart to be a voice for the countless victims known and unknown I believe this day would not have come! There were many detractors and defenders of DG who attacked you and your motives,but now they are silenced and God has bought justice and vindicated you! I thank God for letting us meet I'm the better for it! Lets all pray that God now has Darrell's attention! Also many,many prayers for all the victims!

Pastor Rod,You led this fight years ago and tried to get people to listen. Thank you for your efforts , it was a high price you and your wife paid for trying to stand for truth. All of your efforts were not in vain as you had gone forth with it all in the past, sadly it was ignored and you were literally run out of the church. But your steadfastness in gathering credible evidence in the past allowed for good resources now. Thank you and Charlene for all of your efforts, friendship and prayers. You are champions!Love you both dearly and I am blessed to call you friends!

Don Simpkins,Thank you for your HOLY BOLDNESS in standing with us all the way from Texas. You knew what we were up against, you didn't just warn us, you joined the fight! I appreciate you and thank you for all you have done! Keep up the good fight my friend - it is not in vain!

I am near tears about this news, because I am so glad the victims will not need to testify in court, and that this particular battle is nearing an end. I no longer live in the area, but I've been keeping up with the blog. Like you, I am glad for justice, but I am sad and fearful for my ex Pastor. I like many others have prayed for true repentence and humility for him. I comforted only by the fact that as long as he lives, he has a chance to truly humble himself before God in repentence. Maybe jail will help that process along. We can only hope and pray this to be so.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all you have done! May God continue to bless you and use you in His service.

Pastor Wade's blog > Walking Where SBC Preachers Fail to Tread.A handful of leaders in our Convention, as detailed here last September, 2008, neglected to fulfill their God-given responsibilities to shut down Gilyard's ministry and provide help to his victims. Alas, a young Southern Baptist woman, a Gilyard victim herself, approached the unenviable task of bringing Gilyard to justice with the zeal of a modern apostle. Tiffany Croft began her blog with the goal of treading where we Southern Baptist pastors and leaders feared to trod. With all the negative press from official channels in the SBC regarding blogs, it would be great to see someone like Tiffany be given credit using a blog to bring about good in our society.

It is absolutely amazing what Tiffany Thigpen Croft, a local Christian wife and mother, armed with only a blog and the power of free speech and her faith in God, has been able to accomplish. Tiffany has done what most baptist pastors in this city were too cowardly to do. And she didn't have a budget, a PR firm, or any position of power in the city of Jacksonville....And most importantly, Tiffany didn't cave into those cowardly voices that told her that her blog was harming the cause of Christ, that it was beauty-shop gossip and should be shut down. No way - Tiffany stood strong, knew that truth was on her side, and she KNEW that God was pleased with what she was doing. You see, for far too long, people inside baptist churches have been afraid to call public attention to abusers, especially pastors. They have used the illogical excuse that to do so would harm Christianity - that people would be turned away from Christ if light were shone on the abuses of pastors, that things should be kept quiet. They've even used lame excuses like the pastor is God's man, and "touch not thine annointed", or "just let God handle it."

If you are still reading this blog, I have a question i have always wanted to ask. I believe you were the one who counseled DG in Texas. I understand if you can't go into details, but was DG ever molested as a child and maybe that is what contributed to this deviant behaviour or is it deep sin that just drug him down.

The sad part is that churches across the country would still call him into the pulpit to preach. If it weren't for the current leadership at Shiloh a lot of those members/staff would allow him back in the pulpit. Oh God have mercy on us!

He is a great speaker and a very talented individual, although he may see another day in the pulpit I can only pray that there will be total repentance and accountability in his future. If only those things could have been in place before now the outcome may have been different. I will pray for EVERYONE involved as this has a lasting ripple effect that could span for generations.

The question was raised if Gilyard was molested. The research by Rebecca Sherman, at that time with the Dallas News, was that he had a very loving family. Gilyard story of living under a bridge was all a lie. When I worked with Gilyard he never disclosed any sexual abuse. He always believed that he was chosen by God to deliever the message. Gilyard was never who he proclaimed to be. Even today I beleive that most have no idea how bad he really is. He is totally depraved. I did spend time with him and there is a side to him that is very very evil. I think he came into the house of the Lord and tore apart the church. I hate to say it but he was pushed through by many of those in power. There are still stories that I hear about Gilyard that go undisclosed. I'm amazed in some ways that churches would still allow him to come into their church. As Tiffany said, the church that he was recently at, they could have victims as we speak. He is a sexual predator.

What has the church come to. I admire the Pastor's that stand up for the righteouness of God. We as a people have lost the "Awe" of the almighty God. I look at this blog and look at God's faithful servants. I believe God allowed this to happen. I also God will pour out His blessings on all who stood in the gap.

Thank you for all of you. For the victims I pray continually that God will bring healing to you. Do not feel ashamed, as this is a method that Gilyar would use agaisnt his victim. Talk about your ordeal with your brother and sister in Christ.

Where is Jerry Vines now? Where is Page Patterson? Where are all of those in power and authority (earthly) who have placed a stamp of approval on Darrell Lewis Gilyard. Where are you?????Why don't you raise your cowardly heads and make a public appology, at least to the victims. At least show yourselves to be "men." Get rid of the "jelly backs" and ask Jesus Christ to replace them with "real backbones." You all are just as guilty as Darrell Lewis Gilyard! Do it before God unveils your mess and render you naked before the world as He has done with Darrell Lewis Gilyard!Repent repent repent to all of you involved.

Thank you Mr.Simpkins for your straight forward and frank remarks concerning your experiences with Darrell. I too believe Darrell to be the most "evil",deceptive individual I'd had ever meet. It is also truly sad at the deafing silence from other Pastor's and preacher's concerning Pastoral abuses. Many of these's same silent men have no problem going public and berating the police or the politicians over perceived injustices;But strangely have nothing to say about the injustices perpetrated by Ministers! Pastors,preachers,deacons,etc must be held accountable for these types of blatant offenses so that the Name of Christ is not maligned!Thanks agian "Sir" for courage and insights!

Don,Thank you once again for your insight and concern for the victims. You and I have discussed many of the stories and things that many are not even aware of. I heard of a new one even yesterday from someone from his past. The fact that people do not really know the evil that has overtaken this man is the very reason that it is so importatn for people to step up and "stand in the gap", the very reason this blog was created.We understand that some are not aware and blindly trust him, some might even be aware of something but due to him being a preacher and sounding good they ignore it or even make excuses for him. Then there are the others, the ones that know (time after time) all of what he has done and help him by covering for him while he continued. And churches that know what he was accused of (time and again) and still brought him in to Pastor or speak - how?? Those are things I will never fully understand.God has to be saddened when He sees this - though He already knows it all.

Don, you have lived this nightmare - you and I have talked about it. You have suffered as a result of standing up to him in the past, standing up to those that were going to allow him to keep going. You still, all of these years later, took a risk and stood once again - knowing the possible cost! I think you are a hero and I am so thankful to call you a friend! Thank you. Know that God has you in the palm of His hand and you will continue to be blessed!

When people cover for someone like Darryl Gilyard, do you ever wonder what they are covering about themselves? WHY would they persist and persist in covering for him? Whats being hidden? I always feel like when I hear this story, I am not hearing the whole story. I feel like I couldn't possibly be hearing the whole story...NOBODY would cover for this guy with this many witnesses...would they?

The more I think about my own experiences in the Southern Baptist Church, and what I've seen in other peoples experiences, I start to wonder if something larger isn't being hidden.

Its bad to be a conspiracy theorist.

Why didn't they cut him loose at the beginning?Does it make sense to you?WHATS HE GOT ON THEM?Thats what I'm trying to say here.

Gilyard...whats he got on the hierarchy of the Southern Baptist Church that they let him go for 20 some years?

And why this strange push to silence all these blogs?Afraid something REALLY big is going to come out?

See...thats where my mind goes because I ALWAYS believe there are no coincidences and that there is more than meets the eye. And the more you try to silence people, the worse it looks. To people like me anyways.

If you watched the movie Doubt, you will understand when I say....feathers.

"Gilyard...whats he got on the hierarchy of the Southern Baptist Church that they let him go for 20 some years?"

Nothing. It is much more simplistic and banal than that. Gilyard was mentored as a promising quasi conservative Black preacher. A rarity. The SBC had been consistently accused of being segregated on purpose. You are probably too young to remember the finger pointing back in the 70's and 80's over this issue.

Once they mentor a person and promote them, it becomes about saving face and they dig the hole deeper rather than admit they made a huge mistake and had no discernment.

Tomorrow is the big day that we have all waited for. Please pray for all involved tomorrow. It will be a day of mixed emotions for many I am sure -the families will finally get some relief, the victims, those close to Darrell will feel mixed feelings I am sure - so please pray for all involved. Pray also for Tenise, what a hard time this must be for her. Her parents and also for Darrell's children and any other family - this can't be easy for any of them.

Gilyard will be sentenced June 11 to three years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender under terms of his plea agreement. His prison term will be followed by three years of sex-offender probation requiring him to avoid contact with children and limiting where he can live.

The mother of one of his victims told Gilyard in court that he "lived a lie" and that she would pray for him.

Gilyard and his lawyer left court out a back door to avoid reporters.

Gilyard, 47, was arrested 16 months ago and has been free on his own recognizance. He remained free until his sentencing. Circuit Judge Michael Weatherby warned him he would face up to 15 years in prison if he doesn't show up for sentencing.

The former pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church had faced two felony counts of lewd conduct involving sexually explicit text messages sent to a teenage girl and one felony count of lewd molestation for fondling a teenage girl whose parents sought counseling for her from the pastor. One of the texting counts was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

A Palatka native, Gilyard rose quickly to prominence after seminary, pastoring one of the nation's fastest-growing churches while still in his 20s. He left that church in Texas amid accusations of sexual impropriety and came to Shiloh in 1993.

For more on Gilyard's plea, check back on Jacksonville.com and see Friday's Times-Union.

Prosecutors said Gilyard has a history of inappropriate relationships with his parishioners.

"He was a person who obviously could not control his sexual desires," said Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi. "He used his position of trust to gain access to children and he used that position of trust to gratify himself."

Other women have come forward to say Gilyard had inappropriate relationships with them, but the only criminal charges included the two juveniles.

Darrell Gilyard appeared in court Thursday morning where he pleaded guilty to molesting a 15-year-old girl at his church.

He also admitted to sending explicit text messages to another teen.

Prosecutors say Gilyard will be sentenced in June to three years in prison. The prison time will be followed by three years probation and Gilyard must register as a sex offender.

Gilyard stepped down as pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in December of 2007 as allegations against him surfaced.

In January of 2008, police arrested Gilyard on lewd and lascivious charges. A mother told police her 14-year-old daughter received an explicit text message from Gilyard that appeared sexual in nature.

In a separate incident, court documents revealed a 15-year-old girl told police Gilyard kissed her on two occasions while in a darkroom. Gilyard had been counseling the girl.

The records also showed Gilyard left four churches in Texas during the eighties and nineties after women complained of sexual abuse.

Gilyard is also facing a paternity lawsuit filed by a woman who claims the former pastor is the father of her 3-year-old daughter. The woman claimed in her lawsuit Shiloh knew or should've known about Gilyard's past.

Words of a Fether > Brood of Vipers.This is beyond evil. No wonder the apostle John stares in horror at what he can scarcely believe was ever the ekklesia in Rev. 17:5-7. (There are only two entities in the Bible that were ever said to be “married” to God: Israel and the ekklesia, and I think we can rule out Israel in that passage. The reason this matters is because she is called a prostitute, and this is God’s way of referring to His wayward “wife”.) How can any group of believers harbor such evil, enabling it by silence while the perpetrators roam freely among the sheep?

But while many good points are made at that link, here’s what I think is the foundational “enabler”: The Institution, the “church”, the System. It fosters hierarchy and divides the Body. It puts up barriers between the people and their Savior and God. Of course even a “house church” can be just as bad, but when you have multi-national conglomerates that call themselves “Christian”, you multiply both the severity of the crimes and the number of victims

Think about it. If you have been taught all your life that you have direct access to God, that you have the Holy Spirit to guide you and the Bible to keep you in the truth, then it will be much harder for anyone to use position or fear of hell to victimize you. But if, as in any cult, you have been told that you must blindly obey your rulers, who will not hesitate to hunt you down if you run or smear your name if you talk, you run a much greater risk of falling victim to the aggressive, to people who are known for their ability to put on a pious face while savagely tearing apart the sheep.

Tiffany Why are you now just speaking about this! I think you are at faukt just as well as Pastor Gilyard! You need to go to prison also! If you had come forth when you said that he did this to you! Maybe there would not have been other victims! So Tiffany are an contribution to the crime!

You have either not read the full story, or you choose to see what you want to - I did come forward, he lost his church in Texas when I came forward as well as many other people came forward and were giving their horrible stories. I thought he would never preach again, I thought hte leaders would handle it....they did not. He eventually came to Shiloh...he continued. Others came out against him and confronted him over the years with his crimes - he (along with those close to him) paid them off or shut them up by discrediting them...there was not much I could do and would you have listened then? Probably not.

It took the courage of these two girls families to stand up and then to not be intimidated when the tactics began...they stood strong and went all the way to authorities. They are the heroes! I am just a voice, a vehicle for the public...I am available, not anything special. I take no credit, but I do wish that something more would have been done years ago...but I also now believe that it would have taken this much information and this many witnesses to convince people such as yourself that this actually happened. You have written this same message here before, so I guess you will always harbor ill will towards me and refuse to believe that he is the predator.May God heal your heart of your anger and allow you to see the truth. I know you must be hurting.

Does he (Gilyard) have children? If so, does he have a daughter? Just curious and how does a woman continue to live and support a man like this. This is crazy. Some women love fame and glory and will go along with anything just to live the so called good life!!! He hurt WOMEN and Little Girls cheated over and over again!!!!!

He has two children in Texas that are now about college aged...there are atleast three young children he has reportedly fathered outside of the two from his previous marriage, by many accounts including the one you recently read about in the paper.

It is very sad, but at the same time we need to pray blessings over all of these children, that they will be part of the beauty God brought from the tragedy. They have a purpose in this world as well and I hope that they never carry any shame.To the mothers of these children, speak blessings over them and see them as good gifts, as hard as it may be. There are many people born from this type of situation that grow up to have huge testimonies. Know that many are praying for them.

This in no way has anything to do with the children. The children are not responsible. It's just sad. My heart is with the children that he hurt and also his own children. Any adult that has went along with his wrong doing and have made excuses for his behavior also will be held accountable. This is a serious problem that if not address will continue even if he does do 3 years in prison. Wow, this is so sad.

Oh, and who are taking care of all of these outside kids? Does he even acknowledge these other 3 kids? This is unbelievable. I heard he lives in a gated community, in a half a million dollar home. Who gated these kids and women who he preyed on? The needed protection! Lord have mercy. The bible warns us of false prophets. I really do not believe he is sorry for a thing. Just sorry he was caught.

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Download includes Adobe LiveCycle Designer ES software for advanced form creation.You can publish a diagram directly to SharePoint from inside Visio 2010. Create the diagram in Visio, use Visio to publish it to the server, and view the diagram in a browser.Project 2010 delivers powerful, visually enhanced ways to effectively manage a wide range of projects and programs. From meeting crucial deadlines to selecting the right resources and empowering your teams, Project 2010 offers easier and more intuitive experiences to help you simply be more productive and realise amazing results.

Scripture

Psalm 17:8-13 says, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. (vs.13) Rise up oh Lord, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked with your sword."